Doug Barkley's playing career was tragically ended when an on-ice accident left him without vision in his right eye. On January 30, 1966, Barkley, a Detroit Red Wing, was battling with Chicago's Doug Mohns for a puck at the blueline. Mohns attempted to lift Barkley's stick, missed, and caught the bent-over Barkley directly in the right eye. He would never play again.

Barkley began in the Chicago organization, playing parts of 1957-58 and 1959-60 with the Hawks while apprenticing in the minors. The Hawks traded him in 1962, and he soon became a regular with Detroit. Barkley joined the Red Wings for 1962-63 and missed out on rookie-of-the-year honors in the closest vote of all time when Kent Douglas of Toronto received 99.4 weighted votes to Barkley's 99.2.

After his injury, Barkley joined the Detroit front office, working in public relations and as a troubleshooter. He was appointed head coach of the Fort Worth farm team for Detroit in 1969 and a year later was behind the bench for the Wings, where he stayed for less than one season before quitting because of the teams slow start. He returned to coach the Wings again in 1975, but lasted just 26 games before being fired and replaced by Alex Delvecchio, his former teammate.

REGULAR SEASON

PLAYOFFS

Season

Club

League

GP

G

A

TP

PIM

+/-

GP

G

A

TP

PIM

1955-56

Medicine Hat Tigers

WCJHL

44

19

10

29

85

5

0

2

2

0

1956-57

Calgary Stampeders

WHL

63

4

8

12

112

3

0

0

0

0

1957-58

Chicago Black Hawks

NHL

3

0

0

0

0

1957-58

Calgary Stampeders

WHL

31

3

5

8

72

14

2

1

3

37

1957-58

Buffalo Bisons

AHL

27

0

3

3

22

1958-59

Buffalo Bisons

AHL

55

2

5

7

59

8

0

0

0

12

1959-60

Chicago Black Hawks

NHL

3

0

0

0

2

1959-60

Calgary Stampeders

WHL

55

7

18

25

82

1960-61

Buffalo Bisons

AHL

66

9

28

37

106

4

0

1

1

10

1961-62

Calgary Stampeders

WHL

70

25

49

74

82

7

2

3

5

17

1962-63

Detroit Red Wings

NHL

70

3

24

27

78

11

0

3

3

16

1963-64

Detroit Red Wings

NHL

67

11

21

32

115

14

0

5

5

33

1964-65

Detroit Red Wings

NHL

67

5

20

25

122

5

0

1

1

14

1965-66

Detroit Red Wings

NHL

43

5

15

20

65

1966-67

Detroit Red Wings

NHLMGNT

1967-68

Detroit Red Wings

NHLMGNT

1968-69

Fort Worth Wings

CHL

NHL Totals

253

24

80

104

382

30

0

9

9

63

WHL First All-Star Team (1962)

Traded to Detroit by Chicago for Len Lunde and John McKenzie, June 5, 1962. Suffered career-ending eye injury in game vs. Chicago, January 30, 1966.